In September 2026, reporting on Marsh’s survey of 1,800 US employers indicated that average health-benefit cost per employee is expected to rise by 8.2% in 2027, the largest annual increase since 2003. The forecast already assumes that employers will make plan changes to reduce spending. Without those measures, the increase could reach about 11%. Fifty-nine percent of surveyed employers plan new cost-saving actions for 2027, including changes to deductibles

Tokio Marine HCC’s 2026 Annual Market Report describes continuing pressure on medical stop-loss insurance from more frequent large claims, expensive treatment and complex conditions requiring sustained care. The report was highlighted in the Captive Wire newsletter received on 14 June 2026. Its exact original publication day was not established in the materials available for this review. The insurer’s report introduction points to cancer, cardiovascular conditions, neonatal care, transplants and